LeBron James, Tim Tebow, Brett Favre and the Most Annoying Athletes
LeBron James hasn't exactly had the best year for making friends. His PR decisions, announcements, and public displays have been nothing short of one word:
Annoying.
"To Annoy" someone is a complicated action. There's no one way to do it, but when you feel annoyed, it's completely obvious. It can be done physically, verbally, and emotionally. A person can be annoying if they are doing too much, too little, or just doing everything wrong.
Some would say King James did all three. He left tact and proper protocol in Cleveland, and brought a level of arrogance Miami hasn't seen since Will Smith hit the rap game.
Does that give him a new crown for most annoying athlete?
Be warned. Some of the most irksome players ever grace this list, and their actions may make you want to punch your computer.
Avoid that at all costs.
50. Matt Stairs
1 of 50
This one is completely personal.
A guy who has no apparent athletic ability who still knocks the Dodgers out of playoffs will always remain on the crap list.
49. Lamar Odom
2 of 50
Yes, Odom's having a great year, making Lakers' fans oh so pleased.
But does anyone really expect him to maintain it? For all his talent, he's about as consistent as Denard Robinson's arm.
48. Tim Tebow
3 of 50
It's nearly impossible to watch a big time SEC Football or Broncos game nowadays and not hear his name over and over even though he's not even on the field.
Not necessarily his fault, but he nonetheless makes the list. There's never been so much hype over a back-up quarterback.
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47. Tony Romo
4 of 50
Raise your hand if Tony Romo hasn't ruined your fantasy football league, suicide pool, and/or bet on the Cowboys.
No hands? Really? Completely shocked.
46. Nate Robinson
5 of 50
Normally, being a Celtic would be enough to make this list.
Robinson, however, makes it for everything else. There's no NBA player who contributes less and celebrates more. Remind me when you win something, buddy.
45. Milton Bradley
6 of 50
His erratic play not only annoys fans, but owners too. He might be the only All-Star ever to play for eight teams in ten seasons.
For some reason, the Cubs thought giving him a multi-year contract would be a good idea. No wonder they lose more than Kimbo Slice.
44. Chris Andersen
7 of 50
Looking at Andersen makes me queasy. Maybe because I can't stand looking at lizards.
But even a lizard wouldn't get suspended for two years for substance abuse in the NBA. Seriously, this isn't the MLB.
43. Jarkko Ruutu
8 of 50
Any NHL player can tell you how much of a nuisance Ruutu is.
Any person trying to spell his full name phonetically will agree.
42. Joakim Noah
9 of 50
Noah may be a solid center in the NBA, but his stylist should be fired. Ponytails went out with Scot Pollard.
Luckily, he decided to make a fool of himself on national television
41. Alex Rodriguez
10 of 50
Is it just me, or does it seem that A-Rod got off very easy for his steroid use?
Barry Bonds gets skewered for his inflation, but Rodriguez, who's still on pace to break the all-time home run mark, gets a CBS interview and a couple bad weeks of publicity?
He and his lip gloss should get out of the record books.
40. Anderson Varejao
11 of 50
It could be the hair, but Varejao is one of the floppiest players to enter the NBA this decade.
Is there a single game where his facial expression doesn't look like he just got smacked in the gonads? Such a wuss.
39. Phil Mickelson
12 of 50
Outside of Tiger Woods, Mickelson gets the most coverage of things unrelated to their sport than anyone else.
Don't get me wrong, he's a great golfer. But how about making more news in the golf world?
38. Raja Bell
13 of 50
One of the NBA's dirtier players, Bell likes to get as chippy as possible with his foe.
This includes clotheslining, a move even Rey Mysterio Jr. shies away from.
37. Joba Chamberlain
14 of 50
Chamberlain spent many years between the bullpen and starting roles with way too much pomp and circumstance for his skill level.
Is there talent there? Sure. But since he makes Jabba the Hutt look like Naomi Campbell, maybe he should work on his game shape first.
Could he have actually been named after the Star Wars crime lord?
36. Manu Ginobili
15 of 50
The Argentine not only irks basketball players who oppose him, but he also annoys the animal kingdom.
Does he treat lost kids with the same respect he pays to bats? For his wife's sake, let's hope not.
35. Randy Moss
16 of 50
Normally, a Titans' player would see nothing but love here.
But when he whines more than Paul Giamatti and takes plays off, it's easy to see why he's been blamed for chemistry issues in many a locker room.
34. A.J. Pierzynski
17 of 50
While it's not proven that the former White Sox catcher has played dirty, MLB message boards have his name listed as "most annoying MLB player."
And not just once. His name repeats as often as Joe Horn's during a Joe Horn press conference about Joe Horn.
33. Glen Davis
18 of 50
His face says it all. Shrek should just stay in Ogre Swamp.
He may play like a man, but he reacts like child. Drooling? Not apologizing after whacking a kid in the face?
Like Keyshawn Johnson says, "C'mon Man!"
32. Steve Ott
19 of 50
Another pesky player on the ice, he's gained a reputation for just annoying the crap out of the opposing team's star player.
He could just take off his helmet and show the mustache he stole from a 15-year-old. It would work just as well.
31. Vlade Divac
20 of 50
Divac had an lengthy NBA career, but he will always be remembered for the invention he brought to the game
The flop. Thanks to the former Laker, defense is now played like a lumberjack convention.
30. Rodney Harrison
21 of 50
Harrison wasn't exactly loved for his play on the field. Offensive players saw him as an extremely dirty player who loved the low blow.
Now on NBC, those players can see karma at work. He's just abysmal.
29. LeBron James
22 of 50
Maybe it's because of the Decision, or the guarantee of more than a septet of titles, or the ridiculous Nike commercial as a response to his detractors.
Let's just say LeBron could use a new image. Also, he can't be "The Villain;" that's Evan Turner's nickname.
28. Maria Sharapova
23 of 50
When Sharapova hit the tennis spotlight, it seemed she might actually be able to combine amazing good looks with skills.
Instead, she combined grunting with a scrub NBA husband. If she was smart, she would have just waited for Tony Parker.
27. Michelle Wie
24 of 50
The LPGA isn't some minor league to the PGA, and for some reason, Wie treated it as such.
For the behavior, she gets what she deserves. The ire of the sports' media and the respect of nary a single golfer.
26. Paul Pierce
25 of 50
Sure, it can't be proved that Pierce fakes injuries, but don't tell that to the city of Los Angeles.
Luckily, thanks to his behavior in the 2008 NBA Finals, it's now okay to say the Cal Bears pulled a Pierce against the Oregon Ducks last week.
25. Claude Lemieux
26 of 50
Lemieux is noted as one of the most hated players in NHL history, and for good reason.
With a hit in 1996 that led to a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone for Kris Draper, Lemieux proved he'd do anything legal to get his opponent off the ice.
24. Curt Schilling
27 of 50
From posing on the dugout steps for photo ops to the bloody sock incident, Schilling refused to leave the spotlight even after his prime had passed.
Seriously, 2004 should have been his last year. He tried to go Brett Favre on the Red Sox.
23. Michelle Larcher De Brito
28 of 50
The Queen of the Grunt. She makes Monica Seles sound like a choir mouse.
Deciding to watch her on TV without mute will make your neighbors wonder why you are hacking at a dying giraffe with a rusty axe.
22. Esa Tikkanen
29 of 50
For a guy who probably isn't big enough to play any other professional sports, Tikkanen sure made his presence felt in the NHL.
He had the job of manning up and trash talking the likes of Gretzky and Lemieux, and the little Finn earned his nickname: "The Grate One"
21. Nomar Garciaparra
30 of 50
It's hard to be a camera hog in baseball, but Garciaparra did his best to prove that idea wrong.
How? By taking a TV timeout between every pitch to readjust his gloves, helmet, cleats, grip, cup and every other piece of equipment.
As if baseball wasn't boring enough.
20. Ron Artest
31 of 50
Nowadays, Artest has been on his best behavior. Sadly, that can not be said about his past.
Brawling with, taking time off for his rap career, intimidating foes on defense, and dribbling like he doesn't know how managed to annoy everyone who ever loved the Pacers.
But hey, that franchise has done well since, right?
19. Wayne Rooney
32 of 50
Rooney is praised for his Premier League performances, but England couldn't be more irritated by his effort in the World Cup.
Well, at least he's not Robert Green.
18. Kyle Busch
33 of 50
Despite looking like a 12-year-old, Busch drives like someone trying to get a DUI.
Risky tactics and a lack of respect for everyone else in NASCAR makes his all yellow jumpsuit a lot less funny.
17. Andy Roddick
34 of 50
He's lauded for his skill, but his performances haven't exactly made U.S. tennis look so good.
Neither has the lack of professionalism on the court for shouting at fans like they stabbed his grandma.
16. David Beckham
35 of 50
Another spoiled soccer star, another person who's hair look like he's trying out forThe Last Samurai 2: Electric Bugaloo.
Los Angeles is happy he hasn't won anything in the city after he pillaged the Galaxy for a salary even Bill Gates would cry for.
15. Kurt Busch
36 of 50
The older Busch must have taught his brother all those disrespectful tricks because Kurt is no stranger to them.
You don't make GQ's top ten most hated athletes of all-time list without doing something to irk the world.
14. Chad Ochocinco
37 of 50
Normally, Ocho's antics are received as playful and fun for the fans.
Sadly, with his performance this year, on the field and on VH1, it's no longer comical. He just looks like a gold encrusted baby.
13. Cris Collinsworth
38 of 50
Sure, Collinsworth played in the NFL a long time ago, but his job with NBC is really what grinds America's gears.
He literally says nothing. If Marv Albert announced on his own, football fans wouldn't have to suffer through that Botoxed mug anymore.
12. Sergio Garcia
39 of 50
Sergio called it the "waggle" technique, people who watch golf call it "enough time to refill the chips and salsa" swing.
When someone yelled, "Hit the Ball, Sergio!" at the 2002 U.S. Open, every fan smiled because their emotions had finally been heard worldwide.
11. Dennis Rodman
40 of 50
A tenacious defender and rebounder, Rodman pissed off power forwards with his aggressiveness and non-Pistons and -Bulls fans with his ridiculous mannerisms.
His outlandish photo ops were the icing on the annoying cake.
10. Albert Haynesworth
41 of 50
Lazy, greedy and selfish. A trifecta of descriptive adjectives that endears the lineman to no one.
In fact, even the turf wanted him off when he decided to lie down against the Eagles.
9. Bruce Bowen
42 of 50
How can someone be so good from distance, but shoot free throws like he is blindfolded?
The pestering didn't end there. His strong defense, including stomping on players' Achilles tendons, led him to be named the NBA's dirtiest player for a number of seasons.
8. Barry Bonds
43 of 50
Seriously, just admit it. Come out and say exactly what everyone else is thinking, and we can be done with you.
But no. Bonds' denial of his steroids use has tainted the record books and clogged media coverage for many years after his retirement.
7. Terrell Owens
44 of 50
Yes, he's been the only good thing about the Bengals' offense this year, but his past employers would always say it's never permanent.
Throwing teammates under the bus, continually bashing those who supported him, and doing a horrendous service to television with The T.O. Show are just a few ways Owens has made it nearly impossible to stay a fan of his.
6. Mercury Morris
45 of 50
The picture says it all, because it could have been taken any year since 1972.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
46 of 50
He may be one of the world's best soccer players, but he's also one of the most despised.
His flopping makes him look like a handicapped marlin on land and he complains more than his entire team combined.
But that's what the ladies love.
4. Duke's Star Player at Any Point
47 of 50
No matter what year it is, there's always someone who leads the Blue Devils to a whole new level of annoyance.
Greg Paulus and Kyle Singler are just recent examples. J.J. Redick, Christian Laettner, and Lee Melchionni are just a few names who have made Duke known as the nation's douchiest school according to GQ.
In fact, they are so annoying, the magazine refused to put them number one, just because they'd take it as a complement to win something.
3. Sean Avery
48 of 50
This guy is an absolute nut. Constant altercations on the ice cost his team, and his disregard for other players' health is just unheard of.
The NHL had to make a specific rule to prevent people from copying his annoying tactics of facing and blocking the goalie. That's not the good kind of special treatment.
2. Jose Canseco
49 of 50
Just get out of the news. Does anyone really care about him boxing or writing a book or degrading another teammate anymore?
Every three months, just circle the first day. If Canseco isn't in some sort of news within the week, I'll have my agent send you a dollar.
Brett Favre
50 of 50
Outside of Minnesota, there's no one who isn't smiling ear-to-ear about the Vikings' failures this season.
He commandeered ESPN for three straight summers when no one expected him to actually retire. He waffled on his remarks over and over where even the 6 o'clock news was following his decision.
Now, he learned his lesson. Take a damn seat.
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